1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to an improved boot, such as a firefighter's boot, which has a novel arrangement of strapping to restrain movement of a wearer's foot within the boot. The improved boot allows one size of the boot to be comfortably worn by a wearer whose foot is sized to any one of a range of sizes and also causes a boot of the size of the wearer's foot to be more comfortable.
2. Description of the Related Art
As exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,543, which is assigned to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, prior efforts have been made to develop a boot so that one size of the boot can be comfortably worn by a wearer whose foot is sized to any one of a range of sizes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,543 discloses an inner sock of elastic material, such as closed cell neoprene foam, which sock is fixed to an insole of a boot and to a calf area of the boot.
Although it is believed that the boot disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,543 can be comfortably worn by a wearer whose foot is sized to any one of a range of sizes, it is believed that such a boot cannot be easily manufactured with a predominantly rubber upper and with a predominantly rubber sole, by conventional vulcanizing methods, as closed cell neoprene foam takes a set and loses its elasticity when vulcanized, whereupon it is believed necessary to glue the inner sock into the boot after the boot has been vulcanized without the inner sock. Moreover, it is believed that such a boot is prone to failing where the inner sock is glued into the boot, particularly when the boot is removed while the liner is wet.
This invention has resulted from further efforts to develop a boot, not only so that one size of the boot can be comfortably worn by a wearer whose foot is sized to any one of a range of sizes but also so that the boot can be easily manufactured with a predominantly rubber upper and with a predominantly rubber sole, by conventional vulcanizing methods.